New York vegetable business updates

The new line is for onions and potatoes and was completed at the end of last year for use this season.

The company also added a new computer system to improve product traceability.

“It’s more controlled and more modernized so we’re set up to do a proper job,” Andrew Gurda, owner, said.

The system updates every minute with all shipments going in and out, including information such as who is packaging the orders, Gurda said.

Bland Farms switches to sweet onions

Bland Farms Inc., Glennville, Ga., has changed its onion production to focus entirely on sweet onions.

The company now has about 400 acres of sweet onions in New York, owner Delbert Bland said.

He said the sweet onion crop looked good in early July.

“Last year, we did about 25% of what we’ll do this year,” Bland said.

The company also added recipes to the back of its high-graphic labels on onion bags. There are a combination of several recipes that will be printed every season, Bland said, and they will be ready for harvest in July.

Eden Valley buys truck, tries new varieties

Eden Valley Growers Inc., Eden, N.Y., planted some later varieties of green peppers and lettuce to extend the season.

“We won’t know how this will turn out until later, but the last few years, the fall has been warmer, so we’ll see how it works. If the weather cooperates, it should be good,” said Dave Walczak, sales and operations manager.

The coalition of 10 farms also purchased a 2013 Peterbilt truck in February to replace an older one.

“We try to update some every year depending on the how the season goes,” Walczak said.

Piedimonte reports that they are set to be the primary provider of the Tasti-Lee for western New York and that the tomato should appear in supermarkets soon in 12- and 16-ounce packages, according to a news release.